Not Normal

FREYA

When Saturday rolled around, I woke up with an insane amount of anxiety…as if my own wedding was happening that night, not Darla’s.

I had texted the bride a few days before, telling her that my schedule had changed and I could now make it with Liam in tow.

In reality, Liam would be leaving to go on the European leg of his tour in two days, which basically meant that he wouldn’t need me anymore.

Our ~faux-mance~ was about to run its course.

But I pushed the thought from my mind. I wasn’t ready to face that reality yet.

I tried to keep busy all day, so I worked furiously on my painting.

I was shocked when I looked at my phone and saw that it was already 5 p.m.

I needed to start getting ready.

As I stared at my face in the mirror, I gave myself a firm slap on each cheek.

~Get it together, Freya.~

~Why are you freaking out?~

I really couldn’t figure out why I was so nervous…

I had been on several dates with Liam before.

But this one felt different.

Actually, this one ~was~ different.

It was our first outing that existed outside the precarious boundaries of our fake relationship.

This time it was for me.

Just as I was finishing my amateur attempt at glam makeup, Ryan arrived with our outfits for the night seeming distinctly pleased with his selections.

As Ryan unzipped the garment bag this time, he was beaming from ear to ear.

When I saw the dress, I understood why.

It was a stunning floor-length number, made of shimmering, pale blue silk.

I slipped it on, and it clung to all the best parts of my body.

It looked like a pristine waterfall cascading down my form.

I twirled in front of the mirror in matching diamante-encrusted shoes, relishing in my full-on Cinderella moment.

When Liam appeared in the door frame, I nearly tripped over my own feet.

~Holy shit.~

I eyed him up and down. He looked every bit the delicious, dashing prince in a navy tuxedo that fit him like a glove.

I was so busy taking in every inch of his body that it took me a moment before I registered the expression on ~his~ face.

I had never seen him look at me like that…like he had just discovered the eighth wonder of the world.

“It’s terrible, isn’t it?” I said with a laugh.

“You’ve never looked worse.” He smiled.

Then he reached out his elbow to me and I held on to him tightly, steadying myself in anticipation of the night ahead.

***

We managed to slip into the ceremony unnoticed, sitting in the last pew while Marcus and Darla exchanged the world’s most boring, generic vows.

But once the reception began, murmurs started to spread through the hall that Liam Henderson was in attendance.

All eyes were on us as we weaved through the crowd, looking for our assigned seats.

I was shocked to find that I didn’t mind.

As everyone singled us out, I only felt more united with Liam—like it was us against the world.

When we finally reached our seats, a waiter came by with a tray filled with a dozen flutes of champagne.

“May I interest either of you in a drink?” he asked.

“No, thanks,” Liam said.

I put my hand on his forearm. “It’s okay,” I said. “It’s a wedding. We can make one toast.”

I grabbed a glass from the tray.

“Are you sure?” he asked me.

I nodded and Liam took one for himself.

“What are we toasting to?”

I thought for a moment.

“To normal people,” I said.

He laughed. “To normal people.”

We clinked our glasses and I took a sip.

I hadn’t had any alcohol in a long time, but it went down easily.

The champagne warmed my throat and quieted the butterflies in my stomach that had been batting their wings since the morning.

As I took another sip, the MC’s voice blared out over the speakers.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” he said in a commanding but jovial tone, “please direct your attention to the double doors at the back of the room.”

Everyone in the reception hall turned to face the action.

“I would like to introduce, for the first time ever, Mr. and Mrs. Marcus and Darla Fungle!”

There was an eruption of applause as the doors flung open and the bride and groom appeared.

“~Fungle?~” Liam whispered in my ear.

I couldn’t help but crack up.

“I know,” I said. “It’s awful.”

I kept my eyes locked on Darla and Marcus as they floated through the crowd of friends and family.

And despite her unfortunate new moniker, I was glad to see that Darla really did look happy.

“They make a nice couple,” I said to Liam, surprised that I was actually starting to believe that.

“They do,” he said, twirling a loose piece of my hair delicately around his finger. The sensation sent chills down my spine.

“Alright, folks, please make your way over to the dance floor,” the MC continued over the speaker. “The bride and groom will share their first dance as a married couple.”

From the opening chord, I knew exactly what song it was…

The same one that my dad used to play every year on my mom’s birthday.

He would pull her in close and they would sway together in the living room while Mason and I squirmed in embarrassment.

After a few moments, the rest of the guests were invited onto the dance floor and the crowd around us started to pair off and join the newlyweds.

I downed the rest of my drink, placing the empty glass on a nearby table.

Then I turned to face Liam.

“Hey,” I said nervously. “We could dance…if you want.”

“Yeah,” he replied. “We could…if you want.”

I closed my eyes and nodded, and when I opened them again, his hand was outstretched to me.

I did a small, clumsy curtsy and grabbed it.

He pulled me toward him.

I rested my other hand on his shoulder as he reached for my waist.

There was a gap between our moving bodies, but it wasn’t empty.

It was filled to the brim with thick, viscous tension.

I felt his breath on my ear.

I leaned deeper into his body, burying my face in his neck.

He began humming the tune in my ear, the sound of each note buzzing through me like an electrical current.

“Freya,” he whispered in my ear.

I pulled my face away from his neck and my green eyes locked with his golden ones.

“Liam.”

He dropped the hand that was holding mine and lifted a thumb to my cheek.

He stroked it delicately.

I relished in his touch as his lips hovered dangerously close to mine.

Just one more centimeter and—

“Freya!” I heard my name again, but this time it wasn’t out of Liam’s mouth.

Instead, it was Darla rushing over to us.

I was so intoxicated by the moment that I didn’t even notice that the song had ended.

“Hi, I’m Darla,” she said to Liam with a giddy grin on her face. “And you’re Liam Henderson!”

“Thank you for doing my part for me,” he deadpanned.

“You’re welcome!” she said. And then, “You’re Liam Henderson and you’re at my wedding! Ahhh!”

“Yes, he knows who and where he is,” I said. “Let’s move on…how are ~you?~”

“Actually,” she said, “can I borrow you for a second, Frey-Frey? I need to go to the little girl’s room, and in this dress, it’s a two-man job.”

I stared down at her wide, heavy circle skirt. “Of course,” I said, trying to hide the frustration in my voice.

The last thing I wanted to do was leave Liam alone.

“Will you be okay?” I asked him.

“Yes, Frey-Frey,” he said.

I elbowed him but couldn’t suppress a smile.

“I’ll be back soon,” I said, and I followed Darla off the dance floor.

LIAM

~What the fuck is my problem?~

~I have played shows in front of sold-out arenas all over the world.~

~So why I am freaking out so much about this?~

~I’ve kissed her before, a bunch of times.~

~But this is so much more real.~

~What if she rejects me?~

~If she wanted to kiss me off-camera, wouldn’t she have done it already?~

~I’m wasting my time freaking out about a stupid crush.~

~She’ll be out of my life soon, anyway.~

~When I come back from tour, I’m sure I’ll find her room empty.~

~Why would she want to stick around?~

~Nobody does…~

“Liam Henderson?” a drunken voice interrupted my spiraling thoughts.

I turned around to find a guy that I recognized as the best man holding a glass out to me.

“I read in ~Rolling Stone~ that double whiskey neat was your drink of choice,” he slurred.

I looked at the glass hesitantly.

I needed to ease my mind and Freya ~had~ given me the green light to have a drink…

I took it from him and gulped it down quickly.

“Can you do me a favor?” the man asked.

“What’s that?” I replied.

“My niece is a big fan and her birthday is this week. Can you make a little video for her?”

“Sure,” I sighed, although that was the last thing in the world I wanted to do.

He pulled out his phone.

“What’s her name?”

“Sasha.”

He pushed record.

“Hi, Sasha. This is Liam Henderson wishing you a happy birthday!”

I flashed my signature grin and waved at the camera.

When he stopped recording, I looked up and noticed that a line was forming behind him.

Other guests had taken notice and wanted their own personalized videos.

~For fuck’s sake…~

A waiter passed by with another tray of champagne. I grabbed two flutes and downed them both on the spot.

FREYA

The bathroom trip took much, ~much~ longer than I had anticipated. So I was relieved when we finally returned to the reception room and I spotted Liam in the crowd.

I crept up behind him and gingerly placed my hand on his back.

“Hey,” I whispered. “Should we pick up where we left off?”

He stumbled forward before turning around to face me.

When he had steadied himself in front of me, I noticed the glassy look in his eyes and smelled alcohol on his breath.

“Freya!” he said, his voice cracking.

“Whoa. What the hell happened to you?” I asked him.

His face morphed into a pout.

“What?” he asked in a mocking tone. “Are you mad at me for having a few more drinks?”

“A little bit, yeah,” I said.

“Well, remember what you said when I wanted you to take off Jeb’s jacket? This is a ~pretend~ relationship, so you can’t tell me what to do.”

“I just wanted to have a calm, normal night with you. I thought that’s what you wanted too,” I replied.

“I’m Liam ~Henderson~,” he slurred. “I ~can’t~ have a normal night. Nobody here wants to see me behaving normally. They all want a show. They want to see me perform like the puppet I am.”

This was bad. Really bad. I’d left Liam on the dance floor and come back to meet his asshole alter ego.

“I should take the microphone and sing a song, don’t you think?” he said with a wicked grin.

“Do whatever you want,” I said. “But I’m not gonna watch you embarrass yourself.”

With that, I turned on my heel and ran out of the room.

And despite the loud music blasting through the speakers, I could hear him running after me.